Key
The Key was an ancient mystical energy with the power to unlock the gates between all existing dimensions, though only at a certain time and place. History Origin Who, when or why it was created is unknown, though in the 12th Century, the Order of Dagon was founded by Tarnis in order to protect it. Meanwhile, the Knights of Byzantium sought to destroy the Key so its destructive power would never be unleashed. While one of the monks claimed that for centuries the key had no form, Glorificus, having seen the Key very briefly, described it as "a bright, green, swirly shimmer". Embodiment In 2000, fearing that Glory would use the Key, the surviving monks of the Order of Dagon transformed the Key into Dawn Summers with the hope that Buffy Summers, the Slayer, would keep it safe. Reality was altered and Dawn and everyone around her were given false memories so that they would believe she had always been present as Buffy's younger sister. The monks used Buffy as a template to create Dawn's physical body, making them biological sisters. However, people "beyond reality," such as the mentally ill, were able to perceive Dawn as the Key. Since Glory fed on human sanity, she created a stockpile of these individuals, unaware of what they were capable of for months until eventually one of them identified the Key in Glory's presence, leading to her capturing Dawn the night after. In 2001, Glory's worshipper Doc succeeded in using Dawn as the Key by spilling her blood, but the resulting tearing of the veils between dimensions was soon sealed back by Buffy's self-sacrifice. Following Glory's defeat Following these events, Dawn herself stated that, to the best of her knowledge, she was no longer the Key, and even if she was, she no longer opened anything,"Bargaining, Part One" while Andrew Wells stated that she used to be the Key;"Storyteller" however, Dark Willow's threat to turn her back into an energy ball called this into question."Two to Go" After the destruction of the Seed of Wonder and the subsequent loss of magic Dawn has been shown to be 'breaking down', being physically weak and occasionally turning intangible as others' memories of her are lost, but it is unclear if this means that she is turning back into the Key or if it is simply the breakdown of the spell that created her. Lately Dawn discovered she was the The Key all along, and more importantly, she didn't need a ritual to access her powers. Instead, she just believed in herself and had some courage and faith from her sister and the others. Dawn accessed her powers, meaning that now she can open portals to any dimension and destroy the barriers that hold them (which can lead to an apocalypse), shrink and destroy powerful demons with a flick of her wrist, and can even do a force field in order to protect herself and others. Giles implied that Dawn had become a godlike entity. Powers and Abilities * Portal Creation: The Key possesses the ability to open gateways to far off existing dimensions and planes. Dawn Summers seemingly had enhanced these abilities to even taking her to The Forest of Doom, Cyberhive and the hell dimension of Arashmaharr. * Force Field Generation: Dawn Summers had demonstrated this ability in her battle against Kerberon, where she deflected his blasts making him disintegrate. * Sensing: Dawn was able to sense that the food of Anharra was not poisonous. Appearances *"No Place Like Home" *"Blood Ties" *"Bargaining, Part One" *"Two to Go" *"Storyteller" References fr:La Clef Category:Terminology